ORF-Zentrum, Broadcasting headquarters in Hietzing, Austria
The ORF-Zentrum is a broadcasting center in Hietzing with multiple connected structures built from prefabricated concrete. The complex houses studios, offices, halls, and workshops designed as an integrated whole.
The site held the Flak-Kaserne Küniglberg, built in 1938 and dismantled only in 1969; after 1945 it housed bombed-out families, and the British administration ran a airfield there from 1951 to 1955. In 1967 Roland Rainer was commissioned to design the ORF television centre, and work began in 1968 among the barracks ruins. The complex opened in stages from 1972 to 1975; a worker died in a ceiling collapse in April 1973, and the building was listed in 2007.
The nickname "Küniglberg" is used as a synonym for the ORF itself, reflecting the site's identification with the broadcaster. The complex was planned for a state monopoly era, when the Austrian broadcaster faced no competition. Since 2022 the street section in front of the main entrance has been named Hugo-Portisch-Gasse, after the long-serving ORF general director.
The building is protected as a heritage monument and requires regular maintenance according to standards set by the Federal Monuments Office since 2007. Upkeep follows both functional and conservation requirements.
The site was a Flak barracks from 1938 until 1969, and after 1945 it housed a camp for bombed-out families; the British administration also built an airfield there between 1951 and 1955. In April 1973 a construction worker died when a ceiling collapsed during building work.
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